Introduction: The use of assessment tools to measure postnatal mental illness is essential in healthcare settings. However, variations in the types of tools and their reliability in a particular population lead to under-recognition of mental health status in postnatal mothers. The aim of this review is to evaluate the most recent 10 year of research on the validity and reliability of postnatal mental illness assessment tools. Methods: A literature search of studies from online databases PubMed, Scopus, and Science Direct was conducted. Results: A total of 59 studies were selected for this review. Several studies utilised multiple assessment tools, and a total of 96 assessment tools were identified and classified into six domains: postnatal blues, postnatal stress, postnatal anxiety, postnatal depression, postnatal psychosis, and postnatal psychological disorder. In this review, EPDS was the most common tool used to identify postnatal depression and anxiety while DASS 21 was the most common tool used to identify postnatal psychological disorder. There is a wide range in preponderance of evidence for the reliability of each assessment tool and there were inconsistencies in assessing the validity of the assessment tools. Conclusion: This review provides information regarding some of the main assessment tools currently available to measure postnatal mental illnesses. There were no standardised tools that were used in a particular setting. The results may differ in different population because there are differences in not only languages and dialects, but also cultural and racial backgrounds, which greatly influences their perception and interpretation of postnatal mental illness.

Introduction: Healthcare practitioners involved in the maternity care provision should be equipped with adequate knowledge and skills in the screening of postnatal mental illness. The promotion of a screening tool for this purpose can enhance these skills among the healthcare providers. In Malaysia, there is a lack of fundamental knowledge among healthcare practitioners regarding postnatal mental illness and their perceptions are not fully understood, thus hindering the development of relevant screening tools. This study aimed to explore the views of Malaysian healthcare practitioners on the indicators and potential mechanisms for the screening of postnatal mental illness. Method: This qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews involving 28 healthcare practitioners at maternal and child health clinics, psychiatric departments, and obstetrics and gynaecology departments across 18 maternal and child health clinics and six government hospitals in the states of Pahang, Terengganu, Perak, Negeri Sembilan, and Kuala Lumpur. The data were analysed using framework analysis. Results: The healthcare practitioners’ views on postnatal mental illness were reflected in three themes, namely perceived causes of postnatal mental illness, indicators of postnatal mental illness, as well as screening and intervention mechanisms for postnatal mental illness. According to the respondents, the existing screening tools available within the clinical practice were less sensitive in assessing postnatal mental illness. Conclusion: The introduction of a relevant screening tool in addressing the common symptoms of postnatal mental illness can improve its the detection among Malaysian women.